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Turkey with tons of flavor, but not tons of labor

In many ways, turkey is a bit of a blank slate when it comes to flavor. And that means you pretty much get out of it what you put in it.

So we decided to stack the deck in favor of flavor with this recipe. We combined a potent blend of savory ingredients to add tons of flavor to the turkey, but won't require tons of work. Using a spice grinder, we pulverize a blend of dried porcini mushrooms, thyme, smoked paprika and black pepper to create a delicious dry rub.

But before we add the dry rub, first we douse the bird with savory, salty soy sauce. This not only helps flavor the bird, it also gives it a wonderful bronze color.

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PORCINI-SOY TURKEY WITH SHALLOT-TRUFFLE GRAVY

Start to finish: 2 1/2 to 3 hours

Makes a 12- to 14-pound turkey with gravy

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus extra

3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

4 medium carrots, roughly chopped

4 large onions, roughly chopped

12- to 14-pound turkey

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup white wine

2 medium shallots, chopped

2 cups no-salt turkey stock

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Salt

Truffle oil, to taste

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a spice grinder, combine the dried porcini, thyme, paprika and black pepper. Grind until finely powdered, then set aside,

In a large roasting pan, arrange the celery, carrots and onions in an even layer. Use paper towels to pat dry the turkey, then set it over the vegetables in the pan. Pour the soy sauce all over the turkey, being sure to coat both sides and pour some into the cavity. Reserve 1/4 cup of the porcini seasoning mixture, then rub the remainder all over the turkey.